The World Cup opener was mastered brilliantly, now the world number one is standing in the way: After the two victories at the start of the tournament, the German national ice hockey team now faces the 24-time world champion from Canada, and the team of national coach Toni Söderholm will by no means be in awe of the big name. "When you play against Canada, you are always on fire, you always have a little extra motivation," said defender Leon Gawanke, who scored his first international goal with a direct shot against Norway (5:1). The native BerlinHe added with a view to the duel on Monday evening (live from 19 p.m. on SPORT1): "We are ready for it and the Latvians have also shown that Canada can be beaten."
Toni Söderholm: “It is very important in the tournament that everyone feels that they are part of the team”
The selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund is taking momentum from the first World Cup weekend and, above all, feels strengthened by the special team structure that has developed incredibly quickly. “Team spirit is the most important thing, two games in such a short time demand every last bit of passion from everyone. So far we have managed very well to perform as a team. We all appreciate and like each other,” emphasized captain Moritz Müller, an important part of the recipe for success in the 9-4 win against Italy last Friday. DEB-Coach Söderholm added: “We have worked a lot in this area, I think it is very important in the tournament that everyone feels that they are part of the team and everyone brings in the energy if there is none Fans are there.”
Last but not least, the 14 goals scored speak for themselves, especially since 18 of the 20 field players used have already contributed at least one scorer point. Whether it's the BerlinThe formation with Marcel Noebels, Lukas Reichel and Leo Pföderl, the line with Markus Eisenschmid, Matthias Plachta and Stefan Loibl, the Landshut trio Tom Kühnhackl, Tobias Rieder and Nicolas Krämmer or Maximilian Kastner with Frederik Tiffels and Lean Bergmann. All formations posed a threat, just as the defense was constantly supporting each other. "You could immediately tell that there was a sense of solidarity, we were just having fun out there and motivating each other," said Gawanke, who, like Rieder and Bergmann, had only just joined the team in Riga from North America.
Moritz Müller: “We have to continue at the same pace”
The upcoming opponent from the motherland of ice hockey had imagined the start to be completely different; the 0-2 defeat against World Cup hosts Latvia was a setback for the maple leaves that had not been taken into account. The reaction of head coach Gerard Gallant's team is likely to be all the more energetic. “The Canadians will certainly improve, we can definitely expect a new pulse from them, so we have to prepare very, very well,” noted Söderholm. Captain Müller added: “It will be important that we don’t take a breather and say: When will the next supposed opponent be on equal terms? Rather, we have to continue straight away at the same pace.”
Some highly gifted talents from the last draft years particularly stand out from the young Canadian squad. Overall, the squad almost exclusively includes NHL professionals, even if the big names are missing this year. “We’re approaching it full of anticipation and don’t have to be nervous,” said Moritz Seider. The German team has nothing to lose and doesn't want to hide: “The Latvians showed us how to do it. It becomes crucial that we rely on ourselves and don’t let ourselves get dragged down if a mistake happens, but just keep going.”
